Sewing-machine.



A. R. SCHOENKY.

SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5.1915.

1,1 92,004. Patented July 1916.

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'A. R. SCHOENKY.

SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-5.1915.

1,1 92,004. Patented July 25, 1916.

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40 36 0 52 g zz '34 G :29 0 57 2/ {g r sas AUGUST R. SCHOENKY, OFv SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE REECE SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

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SEWING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Application filed October 5, 1915. Serial No. 54,113.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST R. Sonolarly to that type of machine used in the manufacture of shoes by the welt system wherein the outsole and welt are sewed together. This is an example of theclass of sewing machines wherein one of the work engaging members, usually the presser foot, is clamped or locked against the work. For example, it may be intermittently clamped and released during the stitching, the feed of the work occurring when the clamping pressure is released, and the needle and awl operating'when the presser foot is locked upon the work under clamping pressure; there being usually a light pressure imposed upon the presser foot alternately with the heavy clamping action. When such sewing machine is brought to rest in any manner the presser foot, if looked under clamping pressure, will be incapable of being lifted to extract the work.

An object of the present invention is to improve the operation or control of the presser foot of such a machine of the class referred to.

A special object is to enable the-presser foot to be opened or lifted at any desired point in the progress of the work.

A further object hereof is to obviate the objections to a mechanism such as that, shown in my prior Patent No. 1,071,355,

connections may be inoperative during theunlocking action. Moreover, the fact that both sets of connections are dependent on the same treadle movement requires an accurate adjustment and timing to be constantly maintained. For these several reasons such a presser foot mechanism operated by a single lever has proved generally unsatisfactory.

I do not herein broadly claim to be the first to employ two levers, onefor unlocking and one for lifting the presser foot. A particular arrangement of two hand levers, for example, is shown in expired PatentNo. 584,039, wherein one of the levers is rigid with the presser foot arm and extends up wardly, while the other lever is pivoted on the same axis as the presser foot arm, extends upwardly near the first lever and has connections for unlocking the presser foot. With this arrangement the operator is "com pelled to detach his hand from the shoe and to reach it around so as to grasp both levers, effecting first a pulling motion on the second lever, and then a dis advantageous lifting and pushing motion of the first lever by which he forces the presser foot to swing upwardly. Not only is such arrangement disadvantageous in its construction and in the difliculties of hand operation requiring successive movements in two different directions,'but it is, itself, a disadvantage to have the operator devote a hand to this purpose when the hand may be needed for more important functions.

It is an object hereof to overcome these defects by providing a particular arrangement of a pair of independent foot levers, independently connected for their separate functions, yet adapted to be put through their operative movements by the motion of a single foot without requiring two directions or species of movement of the foot or other inconvenient action or attention.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the hereinafter following desc iption.

To the accomplishment of such objects sists in the novel mechanism, combinations,

'arran ements and other features as hereinafter illustrated and described.

Patented July 25, 19116.

parts atthe top of the machine. Fig. 4 is a view similar to-Fig.-3 showing'the same parts ina difierent position. Fig. 5 is a de tail view showing one of the parts of the mechanism. Fig. 6 is a right hand elevation of the parts at the base of the machine which are related to this invention. Fig. 7,

in front view, shows in detail certain parts of Fig. 6.

Referring in detail to the illustrated machine, the vertical post 11 is shown supported on feet 12 and at its upper end supports the irregular shaped head in which the horizontal main shaft 13 is supported by bearings 14. The shaft 13 has a hand wheel 15 at the left end and a pluralityof cams embodied in three rotary disks 16, 17 and 18. Normally the main shaft, through these cams, effects the movements of the needle and other parts of the stitching mechanism. It will be sufficient to refer to the following parts thereof, since the stitching mechanism per 86 forms no part of the present improvement. A rotary shuttle 19 has its bobbin retained by an arm 20. Beneath the shut tle is a work support 21 above which stands the presser foot 22. These two members are the work engaging members. Preferably the presser foot is the movable one and it is shown as taking the form of a swinging arm which permits it tobe either held upon the work or lifted from the work. Any driving mechanism may be employed and a stop motion may be associated therewith. This may be, for example, as generally shown in my prior Patent No. 1,085,093. The driving mechanism may be located in the base and power transmitted by an upright shaft 23 to the main shaft. -The stop-motion may be controlled by a knee foot 22.

lever 24 and may include connections shown generally at the left of Fig. 1, as in said prior Patent No. 1,085,093.

The means for intermittently clamping or locking the {presser foot during the normal runn ng '0 the machine include a dog 25 engaging a rack 26 supported at the rear end of an arm 27 which is connected by a powerful spring device 28 with the rearwardly extending arm 29 of the presser The. arm 29 at its rear end is provided with a second rack 30 engaged by a triple dog 31. Springs 32, 33, tend to hold the dogs against their racks. A cam lever- 34 operated from groove 35 in cam disk 17 through stud 36 serves to intermittently clamp and release the presser foot. Dur- 1,1eaooa ing the formation of each stitch the lever 34 is forcibl depressed and, after the feeding movement, is forcibly lifted. When the lever 34 is depressed its heel disengages dog 31 while the dog 25, being pivoted to the le- ,ver 34, is at the same time disengaged.

When the lever is lifted the dog 25 forces upwardlythe rack 26 and arm 27 thus imposing the heavy springpressure of 28 upon the presser foot, whereupon the triple dogs 31 clamp or look the parts in this position.

For disengaging the dogs to unclamp or unlock the presser foot at other times than upon the lowering of the lever 34 a releasing device or unclamping lever 37 may be used. This is shown mounted loosely upon the same pin or pivot 38 which carries the triple dogs. The lever, shown separately in Fig. 5,'is in the form of a-bell crank having an upward arm 39 which, when thrown rearward, presses against the pins 40 and 41 of the upper and the lower dogs so as to throw the dogs out of engagement with their racks. This action is effected if the horizontal arm of the lever 37 be depressed. WVhen the presser foot is clamped upon the work the parts are in the position seen in Fig. 3. When the releasing lever.has been shifted to release or unclamp the presser foot the dogs become unlocked, as seen in Fig. 4. In

i the rear end of the presser foot extension 29. The rod 43 does not extend directly to the presser foot arm but connection is made through a link 44 extending between the presser foot arm and a swinging arm 45 mounted upon a cross shaft 46 which may take part in controlling the amount of thread measured. We thus have very simple connections, namely, a rod 42 directly pivoted to the releasing lever 37 and a rod 43 connected through a link with the presser foot arm 29. By actuating these two rods 42 and 43 successively in this. order, the presser foot will first be released and then lifted. This is accomplished herein by a pair of independentpedals which are both engageable by the operators foot in the same downward movement offhis foot, the first pedal being slightly the higher and connected by the rod 42 with the releasing device and the second pedal connected by the rod 43 with the presser foot. p

The pedal arrangement is seen in front elevation in Fig. 1, in plan view in Fig. 2, and in right elevation in Fig. 6. The pedal 47, which is connected for releasing the presser foot, is slightly higher than pedal 48 which serves to lift the presser foot. The pedals proper, 47 and 48, both extendtransversely, one in front of the other, so that the foot, as indicated in dotted lines, may depress them both in one descending movement. Preferably the higher pedal 47 is to the rear of the other. One of the feet 12 of the machine forms a gage for the foot in finding the pedals. The pedals are out of contact at every point having independent shanks and independent pivots. The shank 49 'of pedal 47 preferably extends rearwardly. It may be centrally pivoted at 50 and its rear end may be connected by link 51 with a reversing lever 52, which likewise is.centrally pivoted at 53 to a fixed frame part, having its farther extremity connected to the rod 42. Depressing pedal 47 thereby causes depression of the rod 42 so as to unlock the presser foot before the descending foot depresses the pedal 48. The

pedal 48 isat the forward endof a shank or lever 54 which may conveniently extend rearwardly alongside of the shank 49 but out of contact therewith. The shank 54 may be pivoted at its extreme rear 55 quite removed from thepivot 50 of pedal 47. A spring 56 may be employed to'normally hold pedal 47 lifted and a similar spring 57 lifts the pedal 48.

The normal operation of these parts may be as follows: When the machine has been stopped at the regular time, or upon an emergency, or otherwise, and assuming the presser foot to be locked upon the work, the operator places his foot in the position indicated in Fig. 2 and depresses it. The preparations may be such for example that a slight depression of three-quarters inch upon the higher pedal 47 is sufficient to effect the unlocking of the presser foot. The continued downward movement of the foot causes the depression of the pedal 48, a fiveeighths inch movement of which may be sufficient, to completely lift the presser foot.

It will be noted, moreover, that when desired the operator may simply depress thehigher pedal 47 with a very little care without moving the other one so as 'to thereby unlock the presser foot without lifting. On the other hand, after the presser foot has been unlocked, the operator .can manipulate the forward pedal 48 without the necessity of paying any attention to the other-pedal. The particular pedal arrangement iS,therefore, simple, novel, effective and univetsal in its possibilities of operation. 7

It will thus be seen that I have described a sewing machine presser foot mechanism attaining the objects and embodying the. principles of the present invention. Since many matters of design, arrangement, preparation, combination, connection and detail may be variously modified without departing from the principles involved, it

clamping action, and a pair of independent.

pedals both engageable by the operators foot in the same downward movement, the

first pedal being slightly the higher, connections from the first-pedal for actuating said releasing device, and connections from the second pedal forlifting the released presser foot.

2. A sewing machine including in combination a work-engaging member or presser foot movable toward and from the work, a

clamp adapted to clamp the presser foot against the work during a portion of each stitch, a releasing device adapted when actuated to release thepresser'foot from such clamping action, and a pair of independent pedals .both engageable by the operators foot in the same downward movement, the

. first pedal being slightly the higher, connections from the first pedal for actuating said releasing device,.and connections from the second pedal for lifting the released presser foot, said pedals being located one directly in front-of the other.

.3. A sewing machine including in combination a' work-engaging member or presser foot movable toward and from the work, a clamp adapted to clamp the presser foot against the work during a portion of each stitch, a releasing device adapted when actuated to release thepresser foot from such clamping action, and a pair of independent pedals both engageable by the operators foot in the same downward movement, the first pedal being slightly thehigher, connections from the first pedal fpr actuating said releasing device, and connections from the second pedal for lifting the released presser foot, said pedals extending crosswise with the higher one to the rear of the other.

4. A sewing machine including in combination a work-engaging member or presser foot movable toward and from the work, a clamp adapted to clamp the presser fodt against the work during a portion of each stitch, a releasing device adapted when actuatedto release the presser foot from such clam-ping action, and a pair of independent pedals both engageable by the operators foot in the same downward movement, the first pedal being slightly the higher, connections from the first pedal for actuating said releasing device, and connections from the second pedal for liftingv the released lee % magma presser foot, said pedals extending crossing action, and a second pedal having con- 10 Wise with the higher one to the rear of the nections for lifting said member, said pedals other and a fixed part serving as a foot being independent of each other but, ar-

gage. ranged" to be depressed by the same foot 5. A sewing machine including in combimovement so as to first release and then 11ft, nation a Work-engaging member movable the Work engaging member. 15

toward' and from the Work, means to clamp In testimony whereof, I have aflixed my the same against the Work, a first-pedal signature hereto. having connections for releasing the clamp- AUGUST R. SCHOENKY.. 

